DAVID STODDARD: Uncover how Oceanside shaped David Stoddard’s path to Brixton

from The January/February issue of the Osider Magazine

LOCAL FLAVOR • With Chef Aetano of allmine

Timing is everything. And, ending up in Oceanside would be nothing short of impeccable timing for David Stoddard.

“What’s cool is that my parents moved us to the best place ever without even knowing—the hub of skateboarding, surfing, and culture. Even more unique, it would have been so different if we moved anywhere else in North County, but we moved to Oceanside,” David said. “I thank God everyday that we moved here.”

Ending up here changed everything for David, gradually and subtly. The culture and community here shaped him as he grew up, ultimately leading to his greatest success yet—creating Brixton with co-founders, Jason Young and Mike Chapin.

The road to Brixton has Oceanside etched in every step—from hearing punk rock for the first time in a garage band practice on the East side, to surfing and skating all over Oceanside, and meeting the people who would eventually help him build his brand. David was able to mastermind such a successful brand because of all the experiences and connections he made right here in Oceanside.

“Someone once told me the company would be more successful if I moved it out of Oceanside and I laughed—Brixton wouldn’t be Brixton without Oceanside. It’s in our DNA,” David said.

By the age of ten, David had already moved three times—from Los Angeles, to Montana, then Rialto—before finding a home in a quaint little spot in South O. David grew up to attend Mission Elementary School, Jefferson Junior High School, and Oceanside High School. “Surfing brought us here,” David said. “We were living in the Inland Empire and driving to Bolsa Chica every weekend to go surfing, so my parents were like, ‘do you guys just want to move to the beach?’ My dad heard you can live by the beach for cheaper in Oceanside, so we packed up and have been here ever since.”

Six years later, David’s dream would begin to take root thanks to a job in a silkscreen shop in the valley. He was silk screening hundreds, if not thousands, of tees for TransWorld Media and Climax Distribution in the golden era of skateboarding. Pumping out all these tees for other companies made him want to create a brand of his own one day. He started coming up with company names, printing the logos on t-shirts, and passing them out to his friends for free.

“I was always interested in having my own brand, but I didn't have a million dollars to start the company. I thought I wouldn’t be able to compete and wondered what I was going to do,” David said. “But it always kept coming back around, like a gut feeling that I just couldn’t shake.”

With the seed planted, David was always on the look-out for names—whether it be for his next brand or his next band. As a naturally passionate entrepreneur, scanning for names is something constantly at the forefront of his mind, like second nature.

But finding the name we all know and love wouldn’t happen until ten years later while traveling on a Euro trip. On a train from Berlin to London, Guns of Brixton by his favorite band, The Clash, blasted through David’s iPod and he knew he finally found what he had been searching for all these years.

At the time, he was working at TransWorld, which opened him up to an entirely new playing field of opportunity. Being a little older and a little wiser, David knew he had to act and phoned-afriend for some help.

“When I came home, I had $1,200 in my bank account only because of a tax return. So, I called Vinnie De La Peña, who is an awesome human being and who owned Ezekiel clothing, for his trademark lawyer’s number and asked if Brixton was available for apparel. He said it was— for $1,200,” David said. “When you’re 26, that’s a lot of money—that was all my money—but I just kept going back to something in my gut. So, I got the name, got the print out that I owned the trademark, and pinned it to my board. That’s when I was like, ‘ok, I gotta do something with this.’”

Riding on intuition and passion is a common theme in David’s life. This “gut feeling” helped him find the name of his brand and helped him land a job at TransWorld. It must run in the family since the same “gut feeling” told his parents to move their family to Oceanside.

Before working at TransWorld and before finding the name for his world-renowned brand, David was setting tile. It wasn’t until that “gut feeling” kicked in at age 20. Doubled down with natural-born passion and grit, David sought after a career change that would alter the trajectory of his life.

“I was a tile setter before I worked at TransWorld and I had something in my gut telling me I should be doing something different. I was 20 and felt like if I didn’t make a decision now, I would never

do it. So, I called Charlie Anderson, who was working at TransWorld, and told him, ‘I will take your trash out, sweep your floors, tile your house for free, just please help me get a job there.’ Two weeks later, he called me and said he got me an interview for a warehouse position. That’s how I got the job. And, I tiled his house for free.”

He moved up the ranks from the warehouse to video sales then eventually to ad sales where he landed for seven years, learning everything he needed to know to build his eventual brand. The connections he built, the insight he gained, the intel of the in’s and out’s of what truly goes into creating a brand gave him the invaluable knowledge to make his dream a reality.

“I worked with so many brands when I was at TransWorld and I was literally just a sponge, learning how each of the brands did their marketing and watched how they grew their brands. So, it was an amazing learning experience, and not only that, I got to meet so many talented people,” David said.

After getting back from Europe and buying the Brixton trademark, David had a dream and a brand name, but zero funds. He spray painted ‘Brixton’ on the bottom of his skateboards and surfboards—repping hard like his bank account depended on it.

He took the leap and his community met him with nothing but support. Seeing he was onto something, his closest friends and TransWorld colleagues pushed him to his big break. “Jason came to my office one day and was like, ‘let's do something with this.’ He pulled in Mike Chapin who also worked at TransWorld and has an MBA in finance, and we all came together for the funding. I borrowed 10 grand from my house—I had no money at the time—and we started with 30 grand.” That thirty grand of seed money would flourish beyond their wildest dreams.

Brixton grew from David’s garage to a worldwide brand in over 30 countries. You can’t walk down the street in Oceanside without seeing the North County favorite fiddler cap, classic wide-brimmed fedora, or knitted skull-cap beanie. Usually, paired with a wardrobe essential Brixton flannel.

David, Jason, and Mike created a brand that grew into a house-hold name. Humbled by where he has been so fortunate to call home, David attributes his journey to Brixton with the varying cultural influences sewn into the fabric of Oceanside.

“We grew up here with so many different cultures and we have friends who are doing so many different things. I just wanted a brand that didn’t stereotype anybody, but spoke to all of us,” David said. “There were a lot of successful companies in our industry from neighboring cities to the north and south of us, but I really wanted a company that came out of Oceanside to show the talent and culture we come from. When your hometown is called names like ‘Oceanslime,’ you want to change that stigma. I remember taking that stand. I would always talk shop with my friends Jamey Stone and Charlie Anderson that we needed a brand from this town. I knew it would be great because I could involve my talented friends from here and share my influence of growing up in such a diverse community.”

In addition to Oceanside’s culture, one of David’s biggest influences for himself and for Brixton has been music, with the late ‘70s and early ‘80s punk rock scene leaving an eternal imprint on David’s style. His older brother, Ted, gave him his first Clash tape and he was forever changed.

“We had a friend named Gordo, who is one of the most talented and influential musicians from Oceanside, and he introduced me to playing music. He was in a punk band called Under 21. I went to one of their band practices and as soon as they went into their first song, I immediately got goosebumps and my mind just melted. I couldn’t wait to leave to go learn how to play drums,” David said. “I was at Jefferson Junior High at the time and I would lock myself in the music room to learn coordination for drums and as soon as I could, I started a band. My friend, Nato, was the first guy I called to be a singer and my very first band was called the Noisy Neighbors.”

After the Noisy Neighbors, David created a band with Nato, Peter, and Jason called The Plug Uglies, which made more of a name for itself around Oceanside. If you saw their reunion show last year, then hopefully you enjoyed it because word on the street is it won’t happen again—at least not anytime soon.

David still jams in his music studio, decked out in family memorabilia, pieces from other Oceanside artists, and plenty of instruments for the whole team. Since leaving Brixton two years ago, David has been spending time with his family, traveling, and enjoying a stillness he hasn’t had in decades.

But, the guy is programmed to create. So, naturally, he’s got something else up his sleeve.

The Plug Uglies reunion show at the Mooselodge. David on drums and his twin brother Peter on Bass.

“We did a Coors x Brixton collab and it was fun telling a story surrounding that. I think I can do a good job telling a beer story around our culture, so now I’m starting a beer company. It’s called Plainview,” David said.

Plainview is set to launch in May 2023 with distribution starting in San Diego county. You’ll be able to buy the simple and crushable lager at convenience stores, bars, and restaurants. And, just like Brixton, David is pulling inspiration from his community at home.

“My favorite quote is from Joe Strummer and it’s ‘without people, you’re nothing,’ and that’s everything to me. I had an idea, but my friends are the ones who helped me get to where I’m at. I’m lucky to have a lot of people who influenced me and are super talented and I try to take everyone with me whenever possible,” David said. “It’s all about paying homage. Everything is an opportunity to give thanks to the people who helped me along the way and I wouldn’t be here without them, or without being from Oceanside.”